Let's find out what to feed the laying hens to better run.

The egg production of chickens depends on a number of factors, while feeding is perhaps the main one. How to feed the laying hens to make them run better? How to choose a diet and calculate the amount of feed per bird? Not finding the answer to these and many other questions, novice poultry farmers often receive less of the products owed from chickens.

How to feed laying hens at home?

Domestic chickens are rightfully considered one of the most picky birds. They willingly eat whatever is offered: grain, waste from the human table, weeds from the garden beds and the remains of the compound feed received by pigs, sheep and goats. But it is unlikely that with such a "casual" diet, you can achieve high productivity. Not receiving all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals, chickens will not be able to lay at full strength, and the formation of eggs will go at the expense of the bird's body and its health.

How to organize feeding of laying hens at home and choose a balanced diet for them?

In the wild, the wild ancestors of the chicken and its closest relatives eat very diversely. The menu of such birds includes grains, berries and fruits, seeds and herbs, larvae and adult insects. Birds from the order of chickens do not shun non-venomous reptiles, for example, frogs and lizards. They get earthworms, eat leaves from low-growing branches. Feeding laying hens at home cannot be so varied, but giving the pets everything they need for growth, development and good egg production is extremely important.

The composition of feed for laying hens at home

In addition to various types of grains, which makes up about 60% of the menu, chickens are given plant and animal feed, which supply the bird with protein, fats and carbohydrates. If necessary, vitamin supplements are introduced, minerals must be offered.

Which cereals to choose for the most beneficial mixes? Since grain should prevail in the composition of the feed, it is necessary to clarify which types of cereals are best suited for laying hens, and how to give them correctly.

Almost all grain crops are perfectly digested by poultry, supplying the body with carbohydrates, fiber and vitamins. When deciding how to feed the laying hens so that they rush better, the poultry farmer should think about introducing poultry into the diet:

• corn rich in carbohydrates, and its grain is pre-crushed so that the feed is absorbed more fully and better;
• wheat, which stands out against the background of other cereals with an abundance of vitamins of group B and E, vegetable proteins, especially demanded by layers;
• wheat bran, even superior to whole grains in nutritional value for layers;
• barley useful for chickens of meat and meat breeds;
• oats rich in fiber, which must be crushed and steamed for better digestion, otherwise its unrefined grain irritates the esophagus and intestines of chickens;
• oat bran, which perfectly replace grain and can make up to 20% of the volume of cereals on the menu;
• erysipelas and millet;
• buckwheat, which should be no more than 10% of the norm for feeding hens at home.

But even in the most balanced cereal mixtures, there is not enough protein, calcium, especially necessary for laying hens, phosphorus and some important vitamins, so other components must be included in the menu.

A useful addition to the diet of laying hens will be:

• flax and sunflower seeds;
• legumes;
• rich in protein and fiber cakes and meal.

The menu must include mineral supplements that are unacceptable for the human diet, but birds simply cannot do without them. These are chalk, crushed shell, fine gravel, ash, table salt. The listed feed components are not included in the compound feed for laying hens, but are given separately.

What kind of grass can be given to laying hens?

Green forage is indispensable for keeping laying hens. It is an excellent source of minerals, fiber, moisture, vitamins. When self-walking, chickens eat plenty of greens in the pasture. When feeding on concentrates, about 20% of the norm for feeding laying hens at home should be greens.

The living creatures contained in the cells are given fresh and dried meadow grass. Chickens respond well to feed with clover, alfalfa and other legumes.

What grass can be given to laying hens from garden beds? Of the cultivated plants grown in the gardens of the middle lane, chickens can be offered dill, young greens of peas, lettuce leaves and many other plants that do not have an irritating effect on the digestive tract of the bird.

Among weeds, dioecious nettle is the leader in terms of benefits. It is a sure source of ascorbic acid, vitamins A, B, K, as well as fiber, trace elements and moisture. In winter, when fresh grass is not available, the birds are offered grass hay.

How to feed the laying hens so that they rush better in the cold season? Here, one should not forget about needles, pine and spruce needles accumulate the maximum amount of vitamin C and carotene in the middle of winter.

Garden owners can supplement their hens' diet with root vegetables. This component in a complex bird menu is convenient because many types of tubers and root crops are perfectly stored and are available both in summer and winter.

Before feeding hens, pullets and adults, beets, carrot, turnips, summer radish varieties are ground on a grater. Of the garden root vegetables, carrots are especially useful, they contain carotene and have a beneficial effect on the quality of eggs and egg production in layers. This vegetable can be fed raw or dried to regulate consumption.

Zucchini, pumpkins, squash and other melons are cut so that it is convenient for the bird to peck at the flesh. Chickens willingly eat potatoes... His bird should be given boiled, mixed with other components.

Composition of compound feed for laying hens

Due to the ease of preparation and availability of food, many housekeepers mix feed themselves. Cereal mixes are solid feed, while soft or wet mixes are based on steamed cereals, vegetables and herbs, bran and flour additives.

Knowing what foods a bird needs to eat to increase egg production and keep the body in good condition, it is important to understand how to feed laying hens at home and observe the optimal proportions. Ready-made and home-made chicken mixes include all of the listed feed categories, but must include animal protein sources. These include:

• dairy products;
• meat and bone meal and fish meal, as well as meat and fish waste;
• earthworms.

Before preparing a mash for laying hens, the poultry farmer must decide on its composition and quantity. Individual foods should be prepared before serving:

• potato tubers and raw peel are boiled, chilled and kneaded;
• grind vegetables and root crops with a grater;
• meat and fish are heat treated and cooled;
• the beans are boiled, and the rest of the beans are pre-soaked.

Before feeding pullets for hens, hens grind or flatten the grain. In winter, it is useful to germinate cereals, which significantly increases their nutritional and vitamin value.The same effect is obtained by adding 5-10 grams of yeast per kilogram of the mixture.

Feeding rates for laying hens at home

Chickens are almost omnivorous and can search for food almost all the time, but excess nutrition does not reflect in the best way on the well-being of the bird and on the number of eggs brought. Therefore, it is important to follow the feeding regime and give the chickens a strictly defined amount of feed.

How many times a day to feed laying hens and what is the accepted consumption rate? To maintain the productivity of the egg population, the bird is given feed 2-3 times a day. The poultry farmer himself can vary this number, focusing on the breed characteristics, nuances of maintenance and the well-being of chickens.

Per 100 grams of cereal mixture for feeding laying hens at home, add half a gram of salt and mineral feed. Additionally, herbs or hay, vegetables and roots, components of animal origin are introduced.

There are many recipes on how to make compound feed for laying hens with your own hands. In the conditions of a personal backyard, various products at hand can be used. Seasonal restrictions also have a significant impact on the composition of the product. Therefore, in summer, the main focus is on greens, in winter, when there is none, hay is introduced into the diet, a larger amount of stored vegetables and root crops.

Experienced poultry farmers know which feeds are interchangeable. This helps to make combined feed from what is on the farm at the moment without losing nutritional and energy properties.

What can not be fed to laying hens?

The omnivorous nature of chickens sometimes leads to unpleasant consequences. The bird does not pay attention to the quality of food, pecking at both rotten and moldy pieces. The result of avian greed and negligence of the owners manifests itself in the form of intestinal infections, blockage of goiter, helminthic invasions and other diseases.

What foods are bad for poultry? What can not be fed to laying hens? The menu for chickens of any breed should not contain fermented, sour food or products with signs of obvious spoilage and mold. To avoid digestive problems, do not give poultry whole root vegetables, raw potatoes and peels. All waste from the table, before getting to the chickens, is checked and sorted. They should be free of packaging film, foil, twine and other inedible items.

If the bird is receiving fresh grass and hay, it is important to make sure that they are free of poisonous plants, for example, horsetail, celandine, wormwood. It is these species that most often cause poisoning of layers in chicken coops and on walks.

Novice poultry farmers ask if it is possible to feed bread to laying hens. If these are pastries, then for all their nutritional value, they will only harm the livestock. But you can give ordinary wheat or grain bread to the bird. This supplement is especially useful in winter, when chickens need food that quickly replenishes energy reserves. It is better to introduce high-quality dried pieces into the diet, which are added to the mash or given soaked.

How to feed chickens in winter - video